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History · Hobart

Hobart’s post office opened in 1828, and 71% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.

1828first post office
2on the National Register
71%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: WereItNotSoSimple · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Hobart began

When was Hobart founded?

1828

The Hobart post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 390 in 18802020 census: 351198 years
Founding year: the first Hobart post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hobart’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hobart’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 638 in 1940; 351 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1982. Watch Hobart change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hobart’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hobart’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBovina or Brushland (Village); Hobart (…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Hobart came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hobart.

Read it all →

Prior to 1763, Hobart and its surrounding region were used as hunting grounds by indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, specifically the Lenape and Mohawk people.

In the aftermath of the American Revolution, European-descended settlers moved to the present-day village around 1784, building farms, mills, and inns. Many of these settlers came from Connecticut and New England to seek cheaper farmland. This early group was largely Episcopalian, and constructed the village's first church in 1801, placing it so that it was at the center of the village.

Chapters18th century19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Hobart, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 638

Peaked at 638 in 1940; 351 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hobart’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Hobart, 1819 to 1940

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1819Born hereHenry Augustus Smythe is born here
  3. 1863Born hereHector Cowan is born here
  4. 1869In the archiveBovina or Brushland (Village); Hobart (Village); Hobart Business Directory; Bovina (Towns…
  5. 1873Born hereJohn D. Clarke is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1916Born hereTommy Rich is born here
  9. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 638
By decade

Hobart, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s1 item
Bovina or Brushland (Village); Hobart (Village); Hobart Business Directory; Bovina (Township); Bovina Business Directory1869Bovina or Brushland (Village); Hobart (Village); Hoba…
On the map

Hobart on the map, 1904 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hobart. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hobart on the 1904 USGS mapHobart on the 1945 USGS mapHobart on the 1982 USGS map1904Hobart sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hobart.

Every building

Hobart, building by building, 1891–1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Hobart fire insurance map, 1891, sheet 11891Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Bovina or Brushland (Village); Hobart (Village); Hobart Business Directory; Bovina (Township); Bovina Business Directory
Retake this viewBovina or Brushland (Village); Hobart (Village); Hobart Business Directory; Bovina (Township); Bovina Business Directory, 1869

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hobart’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Hobart

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Hobart

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John D. ClarkeAmerican politician · b. 1873
T
Tommy RichAmerican basketball player · b. 1916
Hector CowanAmerican football player and coach · b. 1863
Henry Augustus SmytheUS politician · b. 1819

Questions about Hobart’s history

What year was Hobart founded?

The Hobart post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.